Machine for filling bags.



A. M. BATES.

MACHINE FOR FILLING BAGS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 14, 1902.

1,070,388. Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

O AVI A. M. BATES.

MACHINE FOR FILLING BAGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.14, 1902.

1,070,388, Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. M. BATES.

MACHINE FOR FILLING BAGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.14. 1902.

1,070,388, Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 j@ 7 A. M. BATES.

MACHINE POR FILLING BAGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1902.

1,070,888. Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

fz' J, U25 0 032Ly Y2/f U U U8 U3 i322 U2? UNITED sTA'TEs PATENT oEEioE.

ADELMER M. BATES, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASBIGNOE .'10 BATES VALVE :BAG p COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOB FILLXN@ BAGS.

. Specification of Letters Patent. p

Patented Aug. t9, ttd.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that ll, ADELMER M. BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland,'in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Filling Bags, of which the 'following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for illing bags.

'It has for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements which can be employed for the purpose of filling bags. l have particularly shown these improvements in connection with the filling of bags which are intended to be filled with powdery or granular substances.

My invention has been shown as applied to machines for filling a number oit' bags at once. I have also illustrated my invention in connectionwith the filling of. what is known in the art of bag filling, as valve bags@ invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is av front elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. il. Fig. et is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail cross section showing one bag in position. Fig. 6 is a detail of a port-ion of the part shown in Fig. 5, with the bag broken away. Figs. 7 to 1G are details.

ln the various drawings the parts are shown as broken away where necessary, and details are exhibited in separate drawings where this seems necessary, and parts are sometimes omit-ted where their `presence seems unnecessary. rlhe drawings are to be taken in a certain sense as diagrammatic, in that they are intended to illustrate the invention in a particular way as well as its mere application to the particular form shown.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures.

A is a base made in any desired form vand adapted to hold the superstructure. From this base rise the standards A1 A1 in which is journaled the shaft A3. Associated with this shaft are the driving pulleys A3 and A* and the iiy wheel A, 'ilwo other standards A d .also rise from this base, and the shaft .A2 1s Journaled in thern as indicated. Ris mg from the base are two short standards A7 A7 and connecting the standards A and Af are the cross pieces A. A3, which cross pieces carry the spring bars A A. This constitutes the upperipart of what might be called the framing or support ofthe work lng parts.

l will now describe the storage and measurlng device oit my machine. B is a hopper or storage box, supported, for example, on

vthe standards A A3. lt is open below at B1 and is provided with a downwardly dependlng lip B2 in which lies a second lip B3. 'lhese parts are intended to close more eft`ec tually the discharge opening B1 atlits forward edge, for there would be a tendency at this point tor the material in the hopper to pass in between the lower edge of the hopper and the moving closing plate hereinafter described. B4 B4 are the ends ot what, in general terms, may be called a cylinder B3. 'llhis cylinder is provided with a closing plate B, which, when beneath the aperture B1, serves to close the hopper. As previously suggested, the slide or lip B8 bears against this plate to more e'ect-ually close this opening, but in the case ont powdery substances there is a tendency or" the material to escape, and l have provided an additional closing device. B7 is a beam secured to the lower edge of the hopper by the bolts BB and carrying at its lower extremity a board B3 which is slotted at B10 and held adjustably by the bolts B11. rlhe inner edge ot this board B10 is provided with a piece of felt or the like B32, which bears upon the closing plate B3 to more e'ectually prevent the escape of the powdery substance. rllhe cylinder B5 is formed in any desired manner, but is intended to contain certain measuring compartments B12 B12 which are preferably formed by a cross piece B13, provided with blocks or strips B1It to form a'portion of such measuring compartments B12 B12. A corresponding board B13 is secured within such cylinder, preferably by the bolts B1 B1 and is also provided with blocks B17 B17 to form the remainder of such measuring c0mpartments. Obviously, the size ot these comcross pieces partments can be varied by varying the size of the blocks on these boards, and this can be done conveniently Within reasonable limits by having av series of boards B10, each with' awarying arrangement of blocks. This associated parts, and obviously, as it is rocked back and forth by means of the handle B10, the compartments are successively filled from the hopper and their contents dis-l charged. They areriilled when in the position llndicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and

' discharged when in the position indicated by full lines in Fig. 3'.

1 will'now describe the feeding devices for receiving the material thus measured out in quantities and conveying it to the bag.

The first element in these feeding devices v.

are the exible funnels C C, which are in this case shown as rectangular, a cross sec- 'tion and pyramidal in general form, with the apex of the pyramid below. These funnels are supported .each on the rods or wires C1 and C2. The rods C1 project from the rock shaft C2, which is journaled on the standards A. A0 and connected at one of its extremities by means of a pitman C1, and with the shaft A2 by means of an eccentric C5. The pitman C4 is connected with the rock shaft C2' b the short arm C10. Thus the rock shaft 2 is rocked back and forth through a comparatively small arc. The material of the flexible funnels C C is preferably of cloth, and is preferably folded over at the top around the bars C1 and' C2, and they are secured in any desired manner. The lower ends of these funnels are secured to outwardly projecting parts C0 C0 ver the cylinder C7, by means, for example, of the lacings C2 C0. Cf course, they could be secured in any desired manner. The cylinder C7 is concentric with the shaft A2 and is fixed in position. The cylinder C7 is hollow and contains a series of blocks C0 C0,

which thus divide it into a series of feeding compartments C10 C10 each of which is associated with one of the outwardly projecting parts C0, and thus with one of the flexible funnels C. In each of these compartments, and secured upon the shaft A2, is a rotating centrifugal feeder C11, and the cylinder is provided in connection witheach of these feeding compartments with an opening C12 on the opposite side of the cylinder from the opening which connects with the part C0. C13 is a slide, forming a part of the cylinder and provided with a'series of forwardly vided with an end C20 whereby it may be pulled out if the slide is to be entirely detached from the cylinder. On the slide are a number of pins C21 which are properly disposed with reference to the discharge tubes C12 so as to make between the tubes and the pins a space for the coiled spiral spring C22, which, in position, assumes a zigzag path, bearing downwardly but resting flexibly upon the discharge tubes. This flexible spiral spring is secured to the slide by the end pins C22. Upwardly projecting from the slide is the notched piece C24, in the notch of which lies the outer `end of a lever C25, which is pivoted at C20 to a projection C27 from the cross piece B22. The other end of this lever is pivoted at C28 to the end of a long lever C20, which is pivoted at C30 to another projection C21 on the cross piece B22. This lever terminates in the hand portion C32. By moving this hand portion the compound lever will operate to move the slide back'and forth. There are twice as many of the discharge tubes C11 as of the feeding compartments C10 and they are arranged so that when the lever C32 is at one limit of its excursion, one set o-f these discharge tubes registers with the openings in the feeding compartment-s, while when the lever is at the other limit of its excursion, the other set of discharge tubes is brought into such relation,-that is, one set, consisting of each alternate tube, is in receiving position while the other set, consisting of the other alternate tubes, is inactive. C33 is a long rodl which passes through eyes on the slide and on the cylinder. Thus it will be seen that the slide can slide back and forth,

while, whenthe rod C13 is removed, it will swing' open, being supported on hinges formed by the pins C12 and their associated parts.

I will now describe the bag discharging device. D D are inclined ways supported on the frame. D1 rollers D2, which roll on said ways. The cross piece is provided with backwardly project-ing arms D3 pivoted at D1 to the links D, which are in turn pivoted at DG to a rear wardly projecting portion D7 on the frame. Secured on the cross piece D1 are a seriesof pushers D8, there being one such pusher for each flexible funnel. Secured on the cross piece D1 are two upwardly curved'parts D0,

to each of which is secured an end of the rope D10, -the middle portion of which prois a cross piece provided with ceeds out beyond the funnels into position whereit is within reach of the operator, and where it may be suspended by any convenient means, though no holding device is here shown. flbviously, when the operator pulls forward on this rope D10, the cross piece D1 with its associated parts, will be moved forward and such bags as lie within the line of excursion of the pushers Ds will be encountered thereby, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. ',lhe direction of action of the pusher D8 will be changed by the action of the arm l)B and the link D as indicated in Fig. 5, as the motion progresses, and the result will be that the bag will be first indented as shown in Fig. G, just below the feed tube C14, and as the motion continues this pressure will be applied in a direction as indicated in Fig. 5, so as to simultaneously withdraw the feed tube C, or push the bag away from it, compress the bag just below the filling corner and tip the bag over as indicated in Fig. 5. When the rope D10 is released, the cross piece D1 with its associated parts will by gravity travel back to its normal position of rest shown in Fig. 3.

Iwill now describe the bag supporting device. Mounted on each ofthe spring bars A is a series of blocks E E and also a block El and a transverse board E2, and these several parts are held together and secured to the spring bar A by means of the bolt E3. rlhe board E2 is the board which supports the bags and its position may thus be varied by changing the relative position of the blocks. The blocks are preferably out away at E4 to permit them to be easily changed as to their position on the rod E3. llhe lower block E1 is connected with the pitman E5 which is connected by means of the eecentric E with the shaft A2. This connection is made at the point E7 which is beyond the central vertical axes of the blocks and board E2. The board E2 is provided with a rear ledge E8, a front ledge E", and' spacing blocks E10 to produce pockets or recesses in which the lower ends of the bags E E11 are received. By the rotation of the shaft A2 the set of blocks and the board on which the bags rest, are moved up and down through a short excursion at a relatively high rate of speed, and this motion is accelerated, and the vibrating effect increased by the presence of the spring bar A in the system. The posit-ion of the connection between the pit-man and the lower block is such as to tend to give such a motion to the board E2 as will hold the bags E E11 in position vand not tend to discharge them or throw them outwardly, away from the machine. rlhe bag which I have illustrated in connection with my machine is provided with a valve at one of its upper corners, and this valve is composed of parts which normally engage each other on a plane approximately parallel with the upper edge or top of the bag, so that when the feed tube Cl1 isV introduced into the valve, the valve lips or folds are left in normal condition. The tube, when the bag is in proper place, occupies the position indicated in Fig.'6, and discharges well within the bag, and beyond the lips of the valve, and toward the op osite side or edge of the bag. The pushers 8 engage the bag just below the lowervalve lip as they come forward, as previously suggested, they push the bags away from the filling tubes and compress the lips of the valve together, and then tip the bag off of its board, causing it to fall over the outer ledge E0 and to drop down below with the valve end of the bag down. If the effect of the pusher has not been to sufficiently close the lips of the valve, this action will be further carried out or completed by the shock received when tht` bag falls upon its valve end.

I have not attempted to show the valve in the bag, because the drawings are too minute to permit the same and because any kind of a valve can be employed, or at least any form which is properly positioned and any of the several forms of valve shown in my various valve bag patents, forexample Reissue Patent No. 12,062 Vof December 16, 1902, will be suitable for this purpose.

Of course, it will be understood that my invention can be used for filling other than valve bags, and bags having different filling apertures from that illustrated. The upper edge of the bag is supported by the filling tube, while the lower edge or end of the bag is supported by the board on which it rests.

F is a receptacle along the front of the machine just below the hopper, which can be used fo-r holding empty bags.

lt will be understood, of course, that, as previously suggested, these devices are to be taken as diagrammatic or illustrative of the general features of my invention, rather than as limiting me to the specific forms and structure shown. Many of these devices may be changed or some of themdispensed with and others substituted for those shown, without departing wholly from the spirit of my invention. i do not wish to be limited to the particular forms of construction shown. ln many instances equivalent devices could be substituted for those which I have shown. I have shown my valve bag, but the features of my invention can be used for filling other than valve bags. l have shown the valve bag as sitting upright in the process of being filled, but obviously, it could occupy some other position.

vThe use and operation of my invention as illustrated, are as follows: Assume now, that the device is to be used for the purpose of filling valve bags with salt. A suitable supply of salt is placed in the hopper, where it lll@ may be stirred or agitated, or kept in suit-,

. able condition for feeding by any desired means, though in most cases nothing of this' kind will bc needed.

- these compartments will obviously be filled.

If, now, the operator turns this cylinder so y as to bring the parts into the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 3, it is clear that the flow of material from the hopper will be cut oft' and that the several compartments will be-in position to discharge each its lvcontents into its associated flexible funnel.

Thematerial is prevented 'from escaping from the hopper bythe slide Ds and the felt piece B32. After thisoperation has been completed there will be found in each of the flexible funnels C, approximately the same amount of material, or the amount thrown into such hopper by such measuring compartment. 'The exible funnel is the first .,element, so to speak, of the feeding device,

and since it is suspended upon the bars or pins C1 C1, and since these are in effect arms from the rock shaft, which -is constantly rocked .at a high rate of speed, it is obvious that the sides of such flexible funnels will be constantly collapsed and then stretched, which will produce a downwardly feeding effect and cause the material in the funnel to be fed downwardly into the feeding `compartment below. This motion of the flexible funnels is relatively Acontinuous and high speed. The feeding compartments in the cylinder, containing as they do, each a centrifugal feeder, constitute in eect, the secondelement of the feeding devices. The centrifugal feeder forces the material around and as it travels at a relatively high rate of speed, it in effect, throws it ata blow, outwardly through the feeding tube. 'Ihese feeding tubes constitute the third element in the feeding device. As previously suggested, they discharge far into the bag and serve also as a means of holding the bag up from within. There need not be any exterior support, though for the empty bags it may be well to have some slight prot-ectional support to keep them in position on the feeding tubes, and hence I have provided the spiral spring C22. Of course, the measuring compartments will be adjusted to suit the particular size of bags being filled, and hence when the action is completed, each bag will have received vits appropriate charge of material, being the amount first deposited in the measuring compartment,

then in the collapsible funnel7 then in the feeding compartment, and then passed through the feeding tube. Since the valve is formed in the bag as indicated, the feed tube passes through said valve without dis- .cept so far as they "the bags od' and force the valve turbing orl displacing the lips thereof, ex-

are separated by such feed tube. The bag is hung, as it were, by its upper end on such feed tube, being lightly held in position with a special spring. The bags are threaded on to the inactive feeding tubes, being each alternate feeding tube, while the process of filling the other bags is being carried out. When-this process is completed, the operator will seize the cord D10 and draw forward. the pushers D5, whereupon'the action suggested in Figs. 5 and 6 will take place. The pushers will engage the bags just below the valves and the feed tubes and will ,simultaneously push lips to close around the retreating tube, and when the tube is entirely withdrawn the valve lips will be found closely pressed together and the material within the bag' will hold them in this position.` As this action in many instances might not be complete, and particularly as it might not be complete with certain materials, l have designed the machine so that the further motion of the pushers will cause the bags to be tipped over and inverted, the valve end striking the bottom of the receiving chamber first. This edectually closes the imperfectly closed valves, if there be any. It will be understood that during the time when these bags are thus being filled, the board on which they are resting will be violently agitated or moved up and down by a quick, sharp movement. This movement will partake of three characteristics: first, the jerky action incident to the action of the'spring; secondthe reciprocating action', caused by the pitman, and third the inwardly vibrating action, incident to the fact that the pitman is connected outside of or beyond the central vertical axes of such bag supporting parts. The tendency of this is to cause the bag to remain in proper relation to the filling tube and to cause the material within the bag to vibrate or to be jarred in such a way as to cause the bag to be evenly and uniformly filled. The filling tube, it will be observed, extends far into the bag to furnish a proper support, while its discharge opening is long like the opening of a quill, the end of which has been diagonally cut to form a pen. When the set of filled bags has been discharged the=operator will have arranged another set of empty bags on the alternate filling tubes. The slide will now be moved by means of the lever C32, whereupon such set of filling tubes supplied with the empty bags, will be brought into proper position each to connect with one of the feeding compartments, the measuring apparatus will now be operated and new charges of material supplied and the filling process will proceed while the operator is threading bags on the now idle feeding tubes. The process previously described is now duplicated. I

I have not, of course, minutely described the various steps and processes in the use and operation of my invention, as the same will become more apparent to one who undertakes to erect a machine in accordance with my description.

I have used the term funnel to describe the part indicated by the letter C, but I wish this term to be understood in its broadest significance as being a passageway diminishing in cross-section toward the discharg-l ing point. I have called it a funnelbecause that conveniently describes the particular form which I have employed, and the form which my a parat-us assumes is, I think its best, but t 1e funnel, might be greatly changed in-size and shape.

The collapsing and stretching actie-nobviously will cause the material to feed forward and will even break up lumps and cause the material which is Wet to feed instead of choking.

I claim:

l. In a machine for filling bags, a feeding element consisting of a fiexible funnel, supports above and below, and means for moving one of such supports for alternately collapsing and stretching the sides of said funnel to vary its cross-sectional area.

2. In a machine for filling bags, a feeding element consisting of a flexible funnel, supports for the same above -and below, means for moving one of said supports and vibrating it laterally to alternately collapse and stretch the sides of the bag to vary its cross-sectional area. l

3. In a machine for filling bags, a feeding element consisting of a flexible funnel, supports for the same above and below, means for moving the upper-support and vibrating it laterally to alternately collapse and stretch the sides of the bag to vary its crosssectional area.

Ll. In a machine for filling bags a feeding element consisting of a funnel with flexible sides and top and bottom support-s, a rock shaft and arms therefrom which support the upper Walls of the funnel.

5. In a machine for filling bags, a feeding element consisting of a receiving portion secured at its upper and lower ends and formed with flexible sides, and provided with means to vary its cross-sectional area, said means positively alternately collapsing and stretching said sides so as to cause the material to feed therethrough.

' 6. In a machine for filling bags, a feeding element comprising a substantially horizontal feeding tube adapted to extend far Within the bag and support it by engagement with the inside of the top of the ba having its extremity under-cut diagonally so as to form a relatively wide opening adapt-ed to discharge the material into the bag substantially at right angles to such tube.

7. In a machine for filling valve bags, a combined feed and bag support consi-sting ofn tube-like portion mounted in a substantially horizontal position and adapted t'o enter and en age the inner part of the upper fabric of t e bag, and provided with a discharge opening on its under side, in combination with a support on which the bottom zontally disposed holding device extending within and'across the bag at its upper end, upon which the bag is adapted to hang loosely while being filled.

10. In a machine for filling valve bags closed at both ends, the combination of a filling and bag supporting tube arranged in a substantially horizontal positionv and adapted to enter the bag, with a valve closing device adapted to engage the lexterior of the bag near such tube.

11. In a machine for filling valve bags closed at both ends, the combination of a device for supporting the bottom of the bag with a bag filling device adapted to enter the bag at the top of the bag, and a bag discharging device adapted to engage the bag at its upper end and tip it over said discharging device independent of the feeding device and manually operated.

12. In a machine for filling bags, the combination of a vertically. reciprocable bag support with a spring support for same and a pitman to reciprocate such support in substantial opposition to the spring support, the mean line of action. of the pitman being inclined to make an acute angle with the line of direction of movement of the bag support.

13. In a machine for filling bags, the combination of a vertically reciprocable bag support with a spring supporty for same and a pitman to reciprocate such support in substantial opposition to the spring support, the mean line of action of the pitman being inclined to make an acute angle with the line of direction of movement of the` bag support, and crossing the central longitudinal vertical plane of such bag support.

14. In a machine for lling bags, the oombination of a bag support with-a spring support for same and a pitman shaft and ecstantal opposition to the lspring sulj'port, which the bag is fed.

' the mean line of action o t e pitman eing inclined to the vertical, and crossing the DELMER M BATES' 5 central longitudinal vertical plane of such Witnesses:

bag support, the lower attachment between GEO. D. ADAMS,

the pitman and the support being on the K H. S. BAHNEY.-

centx'ics to reciprocate such support in subopposite side of the bag from the side from 

